1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a web browser application run on a client system that communicates with a server system to retrieve web pages, and, in particular, to the submission of a form of a web page, which is retrieved by the client system from the server system, through the web browser application. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system, method, and program product for saving a form for a web page, which is submitted by the client system through the web browser application to the server system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of the Internet or World Wide Web (WWW) for personal and business purposes continues to grow. A user typically establishes communication from his/her client system to an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and the client system then communicates with server systems through the Internet connection to retrieve web pages requested by the user.
Many web pages provided by server systems request users to fill out forms. For example, a typical form may request data from the user, such as name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and/or method of payment. These forms are especially useful in electronic business transactions in which a business hosting a web page is able to obtain important data, such as shipping information and method of payment, from the customers. These forms are also useful for organizations hosting web sites to obtain registration information or gather statistical or profile data from various users.
A “web page” is a document on the WWW and consists of an HTML file having associated files for graphics and scripts in a particular directory on a particular machine (i.e., server system), which is identifiable by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) location. Microsoft Press Computer Dictionary, Third Edition, Microsoft Press, A Division of Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash., Copyright 1997 at page 506. A web page is retrieved from the server system and typically displayed to the user on a display monitor at a client system. A “form” is a structured document or presentation element (i.e., a window, box, etc.) displayed on the display monitor by a data processing system in which the document or presentation element has predefined areas or fields in which a user enters or changes data. Id. at page 204. A form may be at least part of a web page. “Data” that is provided from a user is information entered or changed in the predefined areas or fields of the form by the user of the web page. “Field identifiers” are indicators in the code for identifying the fields of the form and are used to associate the data provided from the user to the respective fields of the form. For example, an address identifier associates address data provided from the user to the address field of the form.
However, the entry of these forms may be very time consuming to the users. Some web sites have safeguards that prevent forms from being submitted more than once. This safeguard sometimes leads to the user having to back out from the form entry field and re-start the entry of data into the form if the submission of the form from the client system to the server system was not successful. Various transmission problems may cause the submission of the form to be unsuccessful. Problems with the web browser application itself or the web browser application closing may also be the source of the unsuccessful submission. If any of these problems persist, then the user may have to re-enter data in the form many times before the server system accepts the form. Re-entry of information in the form wastes significant, valuable time of the user.
The present invention recognizes the need to at least minimize the amount of time consumed by the user having to re-enter and re-submit a form for a web site multiple times.